Effective Meetings

With the adoption of mobile spreading faster than expected, the question lingers, is there still a need for face-to-face meetings?  Some would go to one extreme and say, there is no need for face-to-face meetings with all the new technology at our disposal, while others would say there should be a balance between the use of virtual vs. face-to-face meetings.

I am not here to tell you whether or not to meet via a mobile technology or meet face-to-face but rather to change your focus on how to make your meetings effective. Here are some general principles to remember whether it is a virtual or face-to-face meeting.

• Define the purpose of your meeting.  What is the result you want from this meeting?
• Make sure every meeting has a leader who is responsible for the success of the meeting
• Provide an agenda to all attendees
• Prepare! Every participant should prepare for the meeting
• Focus, there should be no multi-tasking during the meeting

At the end of the day, we all have different opinions and preferences regarding which method to use when meeting but if the meeting has achieved the goal of the meeting and is effective, that is defined as success.